Searching for Peace
Searching for Peace, 19 Monks, and a Dog!
Dooley and I had an interesting day yesterday. We witnessed and felt something that has been rare in my lifetime. Something so good, so real and yet surreal, I’m having a hard time figuring out how to describe it.
Dooley and I took off for Lagrange, Georgia yesterday. We wanted to see a group of 19 Monks, and their Dog, Aloka, who have been walking for 63 days, heading from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington DC. A total of 120 days, 2,300 miles, “to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world. 🙏”
I figured if we could find highway 29 and head north, we would catch up with them … after all, they were walking! Plus I had 3 GPS’s. What could go wrong? … 😊 2 ½ hours later we finally found Western Heights Baptist Church, where The Walk for Peace was scheduled to stop and rest around lunch time, and there was no one there ☹
We stopped there so Dooley could take a break. Within a few minutes 3 other cars stopped to ask if we knew where the Monks were!? We all shared the information we had and agreed we would continue north on highway 29.
Picture this: Complete strangers, 2 ladies, a van full of teenagers and kids, a guy and his dog, somewhere in West Lagrange, Georgia. Searching for Peace, 19 Monks, and a Dog! …
Sure enough, maybe 5 miles down highway 29 … blue lights, about a hundred people, traffic jam, they had stopped at a church with a lawn about the size of a football field, there were guys in red robes, surrounded by people, and a Dog.
Dooley and I found a parking place, at one end of the field, along with others who had found them. There were people trying to get closer, some could hardly walk, some ran over to see what they could. But something I noticed, there was no pushing, or shoving, or “hurry up, get out of my way!” … There was a sense of consideration and respect in the air …
As Dooley and I proceeded across the field, we noticed a dog running towards us … from about 40 yards away, it was Aloka! (the Monks’ dog) Dooley wagged his tail … he was already a little nervous about all of the people around … Then Dooley froze … he didn’t move … he sensed it before I did. Aloka was NOT searching for Peace … he was protecting his humans from this strange dog! I’m pretty sure if Dooley had flinched or moved, it would have gotten really nasty.
I was trying to use a calming voice and keep animals calm … A few seconds after Aloka arrived with his bared teeth and vicious growl, someone arrived, chasing Aloka down, grabbed him and calmed him down, and apologized profusely… the dogs calmed down, sniffed each other, and parted peacefully. I decided to put Dooley back in the car. By the time I got back to the crowd, the Monks were walking again … Aloka leading the way … protecting his peaceful humans …
Dooley and I were a bit disappointed, so we decided to get ahead of Peace, 19 Monks and a Dog …
So we consulted the GPS’s, made a few wrong turns and found them at another intersection… I barely made it out of the car as they went through the intersection … I saw a few of them stop and talk to people as they disappeared down the road … Dooley and I were even more determined to get closer and find Peace, 19 Monks and a Dog …
By the time we reached the next major intersection … it was a MAJOR intersection … malls, big stores, Chic-fil-A, Waffle House, everything and everyone was there, hundreds of people, maybe thousands … Dooley and I found a good place to wait, with lots of grass and plenty of room for him to run around a little bit …
The longer we waited the more crowded it got. There were obnoxious teenagers with loud obnoxious stereos (and mufflers … or lack thereof) old people, young kids, dogs, cheerleaders on top of a van, people sharing food, people with beer, (and soft drinks) babies laughing, people laughing … Dooley, running around wagging his tail, making people smile. The longer we waited, the more people started talking and getting to know each other. It was kind of like tailgating at a football game … only we were all for the same team … 😊
Then, we saw blue lights, the people around me were giddy with excitement, dancing, and jumping up and down. Here they came, right by me and Dooley … Aloka gave Dooley “the man nod” (you know how men acknowledge each other, with a nod of their heads)
I was trying to get video of this when someone handed a Monk a piece of paper, he read it, hugged and bowed to the man. I started to tear up when the guy and girl next to me teared up and told them that they really appreciated what they were doing. All I could say was “God Bless Y’all. One monk reached out his hand to me; I shook his hand, we bowed to each other and I high-fived all the rest of them. (Including the guy who saved Dooley from Aloka) I was wearing a t-shirt that said “PEACE” on the front, we each repeated “Peace” as we touched.
For the past several years, I have tried to keep myself aware of the Goodness, Beauty, and Love that exists in the world. This Search and this Awareness gives me hope, and I believe that sharing that Hope, will make our world, and our experiences in it, richer, more meaningful, and well, more worth living through.
The lesson here? … You tell Me … maybe Peace won’t just fall in your lap … maybe you have to look for it … and … maybe … it’s looking for you …
In the Days and Years to come … May you all find some Peace, 19 Monks, and a Dog …